woodall



June 4, 192s). q, H, WOODALL 1,715,809

MACHINE FOR SEALING CRATE CUSHIONS Filed Sept. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 4m m @Z If 71 000 022.

J. H. WOODALL MACHINE FOR SEALING CRATE CUSHIONS June 4, 1929.

Filed Sept. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN E. VJOGDALL, or WOODLAND, GEORGIA.

MACHINE FOR. SEALING CRATE CUSHIONS.

Application filed September 16, 1926. Serial No. 135,908.

This invention relates to a machine for sealing crate cushions of the character shown in my application No. 108,905, filed May 13, 1926, and has for its objectthe eco nomic and rapid automatic sealing of the ends of said cushions.

Another object of the invention is to atta oh the seal to the cushions uniformly without injuring the cushions during the handling of the same.

lVith these and other objects in view, I will now describe my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my machine.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a view showing one end of the cushion as it comes into proximity with the tape that is to be glued to the end of the cushion.

Fig. 4c is a view of the cushion in its further travel through the tape attaching device.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a further advance of the cushion and tape.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the position of parts as the tape is being pressed into close contact with the cushion.

Fig. 7 is a view ofthe tape folder.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the folder on the line 8-8 of 7.

Fig. 9 is a view of the folder 9-9 of Fig. 7, and

Fig. 10 is a view on the line 101O of Fig. 7.,

on the line 1-1' are rolls of tape of convenient width, sufficient to overlap the open ends of the cushions. The tape is passed over suitable rollers 2-2 and from the rollers the tape passes through trough-like tanks 3--3 containin a suitable liquid. The tapes are given a half turn by suitable rollers 4-4: in order to apply the glue or paste to one side of the tape or if thetape is gummed, to moisten the tape. The tapes 55 are thence passed to the entrance ends -6-6 of the folders 7. These.

folders, as best shown in Figures 7 and 8, have in their side faces a grooveextending from end to end of the folder. This groove 8 starting from near the left-hand end shown in Figs. 7 and8 becomes deeper and narrower towards the right hand end as shown in Fig. 7 to gradually fold the tape in the shape shown in Fig. 5.

I may have a metallic lining 10 in the bottom of the groove 8 although this is not necessary and can be left out if desired.

1 The machine frame may comprise a base 11 (Fig. 2) uprights-12 and supporting horizontal beams 13. 15 is the drive wheel which may be run from any suitable source of power. I conveniently provide reducing gears 161718 and connect the gear 18 by a sprocket chain 9 to a gear 20 on a shaft 21 on which is a roller somewhat longer than the cushions to be sealed; A second roller 23 is suitably supported in a frame 24 above the first mentioned roller, the second roller be-- ing adjustably held to the first roller by a spring 25 conveniently bolted with an adjusting screw 26. The second roller 23 is conveniently hollowed out sufficiently to compensate for the thickness of a belt 28 and the cushion as best shown in Fig. 6, leaving at I each end of the roller, oortions 29-29' havlng a greater dlameter than the portion of the roller between the parts 29, and 29" asv best shown in Fig. 1. The parts 2 929"of the roller 23 preferablycontact with thesim- I ilarly shaped lowerroller around'which runs the belt 30, extending beyond the end of the belt 28. The parts 2929" of the upper roller 23 and the like parts of the similarly shaped lower roller constitute 'coacting pressure rolls at the extremities of said rollers. Between the lower flight of the belt 28 and the upper flight of the belt 30, the cushions are inserted and carried by the belts 30 and 28 to the right as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the open ends ofthe cushions in proximity tothe tapes as shown best in Fig. 3. As the cushions 32 are moved tothe right, a previously inserted cushion to which the tapes have been attached, pulls the tapes 5 and 5 over the ends 6 and 6' of the folder 7 and the sides of the tape are radually bent over the open ends of the cus iion'as shown in Figs. 3, t and 5. After this operation the tapes pass between the pressure rolls 2S and 29 of the upper roller and the similar pressure rolls of the lower roller and the tapes and end portions are pressed together as shown in Fig. 6, the cushions passing further on to a platform 36 where an attendant seversthe portion of the tape between successive cush ions 32. The coacting pressurerolls of the two rollers press on the tapes with suflicient pressure to cause the glue or paste on the top to thoroughly adhere to the ends of the cushion and thus seal the same. The reduced intermediate parts of the two coacting discharge rollers, the roller 23 and the one immediately below, permit the passage of the body part of the cushion without undue compression of the filling in the cushions.

To operate the machine, the attendant stands at the left as shown in Figs.- 1 and 2 and feeds the cushions between the bands 28 and 30. Of course with the first cushion. that is passed through the machine the ta must be first manually attached to ea. cushion, or the tapes are pulled through the folders and placed between the pressure rolls of the rollers, the successive cushions being glued to the tape when the presses the parts together as fillun a in {5, thereafter pull the tapes 5 and 5 along with the cushions as they are successivelyfed to the machine, the tapes being gradually folded by the folder to each cushion, as it passes through the machine, and the attendant cuts the tapes between. the cushions at the right hand end of the machine after the cushions are deposited on. the platform. 36.

The machine maybe run at any convenient speed and has been found quite eilicient in securely andovenly applying the tapes and sealing the same.

Having described my machine and its mode i of operation, what I claim as new is 1. In a machine for sealing the ends of cushions, the combination of a conveyor for moving cushions successively through the machine,with means for folding tape over the ends of cushions carried byt-he conveyer comprising an elongated folder extending along the travel ofcach of the cushion ends and having in its inner face a groove to engage the ends of passing cushions, said groove being wide and shallow at its receiving end and gradually decreasing in width and increasing in depth toward its discharge end, means for feeding tape through the groove to be folded over the ends of the passing cushions, and coacting pressure rolls mounted in tracking relation to the discharge end of the groove of each folder with at least one of the coacting rolls having a width approximately of the same width as the taped end of the cushion, said coacting rolls operating to compress the taped end of the cushion passing between said coacting rolls.

2. In a machine for sealing the ends of cushions, the combination of a conveyor for moving cushions successively through the machine, with folders extending along the travel .of the ends of cushions carried by the conveyer to fold tape over the ends of the passing cushions, coacting pressure rollers at the delivery end of the conveyor operating to en gage the discharging cushions with at least one of said rollers having its intermediate part of reduced diameter to compress lightly the body part of the engaged cushion and said roller having its extremities of enlarged di ameter to form pressure rolls located in tracking relation to the folders, said pressure rolls coacting with the ends of the adjacent prese rolls sure roller to compress the taped ends of the cushions discharging from the folders and also operating to draw tape through the folders, and means for supplying tape to the folders.

3. In a machine for sealing the ends of cushions, the combination of upper and lower rollers carrying upper and lower belts having coacting flights to engage cushions therebetwoen to move the cushions successively through the machine, folders extending along the belt flights to fold tape over the cushion ends projecting from said flights, the rollers the delivery end of the belts forming compression rollers to apply pressure to the discharging cushions, at least one of said compression rollers having its intermediate part of reduced diameter to provide an intervening space between the compression rollers to receive the hull: of the discharging cushion and to apply light pres sure to the body part of the discharging cushions and said compression roller ofv reduced diameter also having its extremities of enlarged diameter to form rolls in tracked relation to the discharge ends of the folders, said rolls coacting with the ends of the adjacent compression roller to apply heavy pressure to the taped. ends of the dischargingcushions, and means for supplying tape to the receiving ends of the folders to be drawn through the folders by the pressure rolls and coacting compression roller engaging the taped ends of the cushions. V

4. In a machine for sealing the ends of cushions, the combination of upper and lower rollers carrying upper and lower belts having coacting flights to engage cushions therebetween to move the cushions successively through the machine, elongated folders extending along the coacting belt flights between the rollers supporting the belts, each of said folders having in its inner face a groove to engage'the ends of cushions proj ecti ng beyond the adjacent edges of the coating belt flights, said groove being wide and shallow at its receiving end and gradually decreasing in width and increasing in depth toward its delivery end, said. folders operating to fold tape over the cushion ends projecting beyond the adjacent edges of the coacting belt flights, the rollers at the delivery.

end of the belts forming compression rollers to apply pressure to the discharging cushions, said compression rollers having their intermediate parts of reduced diameter to receive bights of their respectivebelts and also to provide an intervening space between the rollers to receive the bulk of the discharging cushions and to apply light pressure to the body part of the discharging cushions and said compression rollers also having their extremities of enlarged diameter to form pres sure rolls in tracked relation to the discharge ends of the grooves in said folders, said pressure rolls on each side coacting with each other to apply heavy pressure to the taped ends of the discharging cushions, and means for supplying tape to the receiving ends of the folders to be drawn through the grooves thereof by the coacting pressure rolls engaging the taped ends of the cushions.

5. In a machine for sealing the ends of cushions, the combination of a conveyer for feeding cushions successively through the machine, with a folder for folding tape over the ends of cushions carried by the conveyor, said folder comprising an elongated member having a groove extending along the travel of the ends of the cushions carried by the conveyer, said groove being wide and shallow at its receiving end and gradually decreasing in width and increasing in depth toward its dis charge end, a lining plate shaped to fit the groove and having its longitudinal edges turned inward to form flanges to engage the side parts of tape fed through the groove to guide the tape onto the ends of cushions passing between said flanges, means for feeding tape through the groove in said folder, and coacting pressure rolls mounted at the discharge end of the folder to compress the taped edges of the cushions. as said edges leave the folder.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

JOHN H. WOODALL. 

